1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boiler or water heater equipped with a burner, including a housing surrounding a boiler compartment, a cylindrical heat exchanger, which divides the boiler compartment into a combustion chamber, and an exhaust chamber; whereby said heat exchanger comprises passages distributed across its surface for the hot exhaust gas, and a burner head positioned in the combustion chamber.
2. Review of the Prior Art
Such a boiler or water heater is disclosed in the French Patent document No. 93 00498, and is incorporated herein by reference. It contains a number of boiler designs, which exhibit the above-mentioned design features. These boilers are designed to accommodate gas burners and comprise a cylindrical casing with the sides closed off, and a plurality of flame openings distributed across the surface area. Such a gas-fired boiler or water heater is space-saving in its design and does not require a separate furnace room.
It has been a long-standing desire for such a space-saving furnace to be capable of being operated with fuel oil. The disadvantage of using gas as fuel is the more complex fuel storage requirements as compared to oil. As a result, the gas furnace has to rely on either an expensive pressurized tank or on a connection to a gas distribution network. Oil, on the other hand, has been stored in sufficient quantities in tanks located at the site of the furnace in thousands of installations without any problems. Additionally, the supply and filling of the tanks with oil is substantially simpler and less dangerous as compared to gas.
It is therefore the purpose of the invention to provide a furnace, which can be operated by an oil burner without making it larger than a comparable gas furnace. Furthermore, the furnace should be capable to be operated with a gas or an oil burner. Additionally, it is an objective of this invention to provide a furnace characterized by low exhaust emissions, reduced heat loss, and low noise levels.